Match report 22/4/23

Leicester Lions leave it late at Hornets for an 80th minute penalty by Luke Bouchier for victory.

Lions finished their season with a trip to the seaside to play Weston-super-Mare based Hornets, at The Nest.

With Hornets close to the relegation zone Lions might have expected an easy afternoon, but that was not to be.

There was little to distinguish between the two sides in the opening part of the first half.

Pressure by Hornets opened up the Lions defence for Oscar James to run through the Lions defence to put the only points of the first half on the board for Hornets, with an unconverted try.It is not very often that one sees Lions not score during a half in a game.

Half Time: Hornets 5 Leicester Lions 0

Hornets started aggressively in the second half, pushing Lions back into their 22 metre area. With Hornets moving forward their full back Charlie Carter collected the ball to go over for a try between the sticks, adding the conversion himself, giving Hornets a 12-0 lead.

Lions quickly came back at Hornets with elegant switching play across the pitch with their back row, Simon Johnson, going over for a try to put Lions’ first points on the board, with Luke Bouchier adding the conversion.

As the half progressed Lions’ winger Devon Constant slipped through a Hornets’ tackle and, in his own inimitable manner, drove through the remaining Hornets’ defence to score Lions second try of the afternoon, to level the score at 12-12.

In the last ten minutes of the game it looked as if the game might be running out to a draw, but in the 80th minute Hornets conceded a penalty, which Luke Bouchier stuck between the posts to give Lions a 15-12 victory.

Full Time: Hornets 12 Leicester Lions 15

A tight game, two tries apiece to Hornets and Lions. It was difficult to believe that Lions had won the league and Hornets were fighting off relegation. This showed that there are no easy games in National League 2 West.

This was Lions 21st consecutive win of the season, with only one narrow defeat against Dings Crusaders, during the whole twenty-six game season.

Teams: 15-9, 1-8, Replacements:-
Hornets: Carter, Gliddon, Vickery, Francis A, James, Elswood, Dorrington, Chase, Ward, Caulfield, Harris, Chenoweth, Francis C, Davis, Parker
Replacements: Lane, Luczka, Roberts, Tuttiett, Crane
Leicester Lions: Patrick, Watkins, Hamilton, Veebel, Constant, Bouchier, Stubbs, Roberts, Rudkin, Thompson, Ward, Godefroy, Johnson, Murdoch, Sumpter
Replacements: Williams, Murray, Tapscott, Cairns, Helliwell

Lions Headcoach, Gareth Collins, commented: - ‘We expected Hornets to be up for it, being their last home game of the season having secured their National League 2 status, and they really were. Their defence was very aggressive and they really got the crowd behind them. We actually started very brightly but we just didn’t convert the chances we created. As always the character we showed to come back from two scores down and find a way to win though was excellent. That never say die attitude is what this group is built on. ‘